Road marking using optical illusion

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a surface sign that is seen by the driver as raised vertically improving the readability by the driver, and as for the surface signs with an optical illusion effect that can aid the driver in driving safely due to the tendency of being able to capture the gaze of the driver printing onto the road surface creating surface signs that provides information to a far off above driver using copy or shapes, from the standard distance between the above driver and the above surface sign, where the roadside prints are formed longer than the wayside prints for random waysides and roadsides reflected at the same distances form in the periphery of the above driver, and the surface of the road is painted in order for the two nearby roadsides to form a mutually acute angle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 14/404,565, filed Nov. 28, 2014, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. This application claims priority benefits under 35 U.S.C. §1.119 to Korean Patent Applications No. 10-2012-0103136 filed Sep. 18, 2012 and No. 10-2012-0128126 filed Nov. 13, 2012.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention is for various types of surface signs printed on the surface of the road for signage purpose, more specifically, the surface sign would be in a form that appears to be elevated vertically making it easy for the driver to recognize the sign which can enhance readability, and it draws the drivers gaze to the road helping the driver practice safer driving.

2. Description of Related Art

There are many printed surface signs on the road today. Such surface signs make it possible for drivers to know the direction for key points of traffic, when to change lanes before turning either right or left, and various information regarding warnings. In such surface road signs which are generally text that have been simply stretched lengthwise, far off horizontal lines give the feeling of being wider than close up horizontal lines, and vertical lines and lane markers and are parallel to the road making it difficult for the driver to recognize, therefore it is near impossible to recognize these two types of vertical lines, therefore resulting in the disadvantage of reduced readability. Accordingly, in order for the driver to become familiar with reading surface signs, the signage has to be printed several times for the message to be repeated enough, and since there are many traffic conditions where the driver is not narrowly focusing straight ahead what results is various warnings are not being recognized by the driver. Accordingly, this causes the driver to inaccurately recognize the words, and it also confuses the driver into thinking that the words are moving which leads to the necessity for a surface sign that can naturally catch the attention of the driver.

PRIOR TECHNOLOGY REFERENCES Patent References

(Patent Reference 1) Korea Public Patent No. 10-0763512 (Registration No.) 2007 Sep. 27

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Technical Problem Solving

Accordingly, the purpose of this invention is to provide surface signs with an optical illusion effect presenting signage in a way that appears to have been vertically elevated to the driver enhancing the readability of the text.

Also, from the standpoint of the driver it has the appearance of moving on the road drawing the gaze of the driver to the sign, and providing surface signs with an optical illusion effect that can call attention to the sign which can help safe driving as it causes the driver to pay attention to warnings better.

Since this invention is printed onto the road surface creating surface signs using words or shapes that provide information to a far off driver the above surface sign from the standard distance between the above driver and the above surface sign a standard distance between the above driver and the above surface sign, where the roadside prints are formed longer than the wayside prints for random waysides and roadsides reflected at the same distances form in the periphery of the above driver, which is the feature of this invention.

Also, this invention has the feature of the painted length of the above surface sign, ‘y,’ where y=((X−Y)/(A−b))b for ‘b’ the random length of the roadside established from the point the furthest down of the above surface sign that is reflected in the field of vision of the above driver.

Also, a third features of this invention is that when the distance between the above driver and the above surface sign is ‘X’ and the above painted scope of the surface sign is ‘S’, then the formed angle of the above surface sign θ, is θ=2 tan⁻¹((S/2)/X).

Beneficial Effect

In case the driver is at a distance from the surface sign(1) the surface sign(1) will appear as if it is laying flat on the road, but the shorter the standard distance used in the surface sign(1) in the diagram, the surface sign(1) will gradually elevate, and when the driver is in position the surface sign(1) will become visible to the driver as if it were in its vertical form on the surface of the road, therefore this invention boosts the effect of the readability of the text.

Also, this invention would have the effect of aiding in safer driving because from the standpoint of the driver if the surface sign(1) is elevated it becomes something that appears to be moving while lying flat on the road which could draw the driver's attention of the because of the human tendency recognize moving objects quicker than stationary ones.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the surface signs with an optical illusion effect according to the implementation example of this invention.

FIG. 2 is conceptual view showing the computational formula of the length of the painted surface signs with an optical illusion effect according to the implementation example of this invention.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual view showing the computational formula of the length of the painted surface signs with an optical illusion effect according to the implementation example of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual view showing the left side angle of the computational formula of the length of the painted surface signs with an optical illusion effect according to the implementation example of this invention.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual view showing the length ratio formula of the underside and topside of the computational formula of the length of the painted surface signs with an optical illusion effect according to the implementation example of this invention.

FIG. 6 is the floor plan of the print example of the length of the painted surface signs with an optical illusion effect according to the daily standard length.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Below described in detail are the surface signs with an optical illusion effect of this invention according to the attached figures.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the surface signs with an optical illusion effect according to the implementation example of this invention, FIG. 2 is conceptual view showing the computational formula of the length of the painted surface signs with an optical illusion effect according to the implementation example of this invention, FIG. 3 is a conceptual view showing the computational formula of the length of the painted surface signs with an optical illusion effect according to the implementation example of this invention, FIG. 4 is a conceptual view showing the left side angle of the computational formula of the length of the painted surface signs with an optical illusion effect according to the implementation example of this invention, FIG. 5 is a conceptual view showing the length ratio formula of the underside and topside of the computational formula of the length of the painted surface signs with an optical illusion effect according to the implementation example of this invention, and FIG. 6 is the floor plan of the print example of the length of the painted surface signs with an optical illusion effect according to the daily standard length.

By printing copy or shapes on the road in school zones, children protection zones, and copy and information about major intersections, and various guidance copy and shapes, this invention's surface signs with an optical illusion effect gives 3-D shape to surface signs(1) within the field of view of the driver who is behind the wheel of the car, calling attention to the hazards the driver may face and improving the readability of the copy.

In order to do this, this invention as described in diagrams 1 through 5, has a surface sign(1) from the standard distance between the driver and the surface sign, where the roadside prints are formed longer than the wayside prints for random waysides and roadsides reflected at the same distances form in the periphery of the above driver. In more detail, when the height of the field of vision for the driver has been established as Am, and the height of the surface sign(1) that can be seen in 3-D has been established as Bm, the printed length of the surface sign(1) according to the distance between the driver and the surface sign(1) uses a rule that has similar figures as a triangle and follows the formula below. Here, the distance between the driver and the surface sign(1) means the furthest away distance from the driver to the surface sign(1), and the height of the surface sign(1) means the total length of the surface sign(1) reflected in the field of view of the driver from the point the furthest up to the point the furthest down.

$\begin{matrix} {{{X\text{:}A} = {Y\text{:}B}}{{AY} = {BX}}{Y = {\frac{B}{A}X}}} & {{Mathematical}\mspace{14mu} {Formula}\mspace{14mu} 1} \end{matrix}$

The height of the field of view of the driver of a passenger car was established as 1.3 m, and the height of the surface sign(1) seen three dimensionally was described in the case of being established at a height of 39 cm, but these are matters that can be selected by the person from the scope that applies the above formula, therefore the height of the field of view of the driver and the height of the surface sign(1) in this invention is not fixed at a numerical value.

If the printed length of the surface sign(1) according to the length of the distance between the driver and the surface sign(1) according to the mathematical formula is 30 m,

$\begin{matrix} {Y = {{\frac{0.39}{1.3}30} = 9}} & {{Mathematical}\mspace{14mu} {Formula}\mspace{14mu} 2} \end{matrix}$

then it becomes 9 m. Using the same method the printed length of the surface sign(1) for distances of 15 m, 20 m, and 25 m between the driver and the surface sign(1) would be 4.5 m, 6 m, and 7.5 m, respectively.

Also, as described in FIG. 3, even the length that is shown in the same interval in the field of view of the driver, the printed length of this become longer the further up you go, but the distance of the point of ‘y’ as expressed on the actual surface of the height of the random point of b as seen three dimensionally in surface sign(1) follows the following formula. Here, the random point ‘b’ means the random vertical length that is established from the lowest point of the surface sign(1).

$\begin{matrix} {{{y + {\left( {X - Y} \right)\text{:}A}} = {y\text{:}b}}{{Ay} = {{{by} + {\left( {X - Y} \right){b\left( {A - b} \right)}y}} = {\left( {X - Y} \right)b}}}{y = {\frac{X - Y}{A - b}b}}} & {{Mathematical}\mspace{14mu} {Formula}\mspace{14mu} 3} \end{matrix}$

Meaning, in order to see the row of the uppermost part and the lowermost part, the lower part of the uppermost row will be shown at a point of 29 cm, and the upper part of the lowermost row will be shown at a point of 10 cm, therefore each would be indicated

$\begin{matrix} {{y = {{\frac{30 - 9}{1.3 - 0.29}0.29} = 6.03}}{y = {{\frac{30 - 9}{1.3 - 0.1}0.1} = 1.75}}} & {{Mathematical}\mspace{14mu} {Formula}\mspace{14mu} 4} \end{matrix}$

at points of 6.03 m and 1.75 m. Accordingly, the upper part of the lowermost row would be indicated at a point of 9 m, and the print length would be 2.97 m, and with the print length of the lowermost row as 1.75 m, it would result in a ratio of about 1.7 times. The means that the print distance of the surface sign(1) should be printed even more elongated the further you go from lower to upper for it all to be seen as the same length in the driver's field of view.

Also, that which can be known from the length of ‘y’ for the point ‘b’ is that if one wants to view both the horizontal and vertical at lengths of 10 cm, then as the length of the vertical described in the actual surface is about 1.75 m from the lower part of the surface sign(1), and about 2.97 m in the upper part then the roadside length is 17˜30 times the wayside length.

Also, in the above, the upper and lower lengths of the surface sign(1) according to the field of view of the driver were mentioned, so the right and left side angle of the surface sign(1) according to the driver's field of view will be described.

When the distance between the driver and the surface sign(1) as seen in FIG. 4 is Xm, and the range of printing of the surface sign(1) is established, then the right and left side angle ‘θ’ is expressed in the following formula.

$\begin{matrix} {\theta = {{2\; \tan} - {1\frac{\frac{S}{2}}{X}}}} & {{Mathematical}\mspace{14mu} {Formula}\mspace{14mu} 5} \end{matrix}$

This means that if the distance between the surface sign(1) is 30 m, and the range of printing is 3.5 m, then the right and left side angle of the surface sign(1)

$\begin{matrix} {\theta = {{{2\; \tan} - {1\frac{\frac{3.5}{2}}{30}}} = 6.68}} & {{Mathematical}\mspace{14mu} {Formula}\mspace{14mu} 6} \end{matrix}$

becomes 6.68 m. In the same way, the criteria for the distance of 15 m, 20 m, and 25 m, between the driver and the surface sign(1) each have a right and left side angle of the surface sign(1) of 13.31, 10 and 8.01. This way, when establishing the right and left side angle of the surface sign(1) according to the distance between the driver and the surface sign(1)m, the field of view of the driver from the relevant distance makes the edge of uppermost right and left side and the edge of the lowermost right and left side appears at the same location, therefore the letters do not appear to be uneven.

The right and left side angle of this surface sign(1) are matters that can be determined based on the range selected by the person that were applied according to the standard distance between the surface sign(1) and the driver, the range of printing of the surface sign(1), therefore this is not fixed at a numerical value.

For example, the above was described for when printing a surface sign(1) on a standard road that is 3.5 m wide, but when printing on a range where the lanes are 3.15 m wide, the criteria distance of 15 m, 20 m, 25 m and 30 m would be replaced with left and right side angles that are 12 degrees, 9 degree, 7.2 degrees and 6 degrees, respectively.

The left and right angles of the surface sign(1) are applied to each letter when printing, but the random vertical line that connects from the uppermost point to the lowermost point, for example, in case of the vowel “I”, the angle forming the left side version and the right side version would be printed in different ways from each other. When the vowel “I” is formed as a whole from the upper part of the surface sign(1) to the lower part, when considering the left side version of the vowel “I” is at a distance of 1 m from the square center of the surface sign(1) and the right side version of the vowel “I” is at a distance of 1.1 m from the square center of the surface sign, then the line dividing the left side and right side versions of the vowel “I” and the angle that is formed is

$\begin{matrix} {{{Left} = {{\tan - {1\frac{1}{30}}} = 1.91}}{{Righ} = {{\tan - {1\frac{1.1}{30}}} = 2.1}}} & {{Mathematical}\mspace{14mu} {Formula}\mspace{14mu} 7} \end{matrix}$

resulting in an angle of 0.19 formed by the left and right side of the vowel “I” that has a width of 10 cm.

If you substitute this in mathematical formula 5,

$\begin{matrix} {\theta = {{{2\; \tan} - {1\frac{\frac{0.1}{2}}{30}}} = 0.19}} & {{Mathematical}\mspace{14mu} {Formula}\mspace{14mu} 8} \end{matrix}$

This means it follows the range formula of the surface sign(1) according to the field of view of the driver.

Accordingly, with the adding of the angles to each other that are formed from the separate letters in a fan-shape the formation of the final left and right side angle the left and right side angle of the surface sign(1) that follows the driver's field of view, then it means that the meaning of the left and right side angle of the surface sign(1) as defined in the terms of this invention is the angle that is formed from among the printed left and right side peripheral sides.

However, as above, for the furthest length s2 m of the upper side from the driver by the closest length lower side from the driver of the random vertical line of the vowel “I” that goes from the uppermost point of the surface sign(1) to the lowermost point, this can be deduced as follows using the similar figures as a triangle as described in FIG. 5.

$\begin{matrix} {{{X\text{:}s\; 2} = {X - {Y\text{:}s\; 1}}}{{\left( {X - Y} \right)s\; 2} = {{Xs}\; 1}}{{s\; 2} = {\frac{X}{X - Y}s\; 1}}} & {{Mathematical}\mspace{14mu} {Formula}\mspace{14mu} 9} \end{matrix}$

Here, as above the printed length of surface sign(1) of standard distances of 15 m, 20 m, 25, and 39 m, respectively, for the driver's field of view height of 1.3 m were each calculated in lengths of 4.5 m, 6 m, 7.5 m, and 9 m, therefore this was plugged into ‘X’ and ‘Y’, and when considering the length of the side of vowel “I” by 10 cm, the length of vowel “I” s2 was 14.29 cm,

$\begin{matrix} {{{s\; 2} = {{\frac{15}{15 - 4.5}0.1} = 0.14285}}{{s\; 2} = {{\frac{20}{20 - 6}0.1} = 0.14285}}{{s\; 2} = {{\frac{25}{25 - 7.5}0.1} = 0.14285}}{{s\; 2} = {{\frac{30}{30 - 9}0.1} = 0.14285}}} & {{Mathematical}\mspace{14mu} {Formula}\mspace{14mu} 10} \end{matrix}$

the same in all cases. Likewise, in accordance with the implementation of this invention, the upper side length of the lower side letters or shapes that appear as equal in width, regardless of the distance between the driver and the surface sign(1) 1.43 times would be deemed appropriate, and this would be because the gap between driver and the surface sign (1) would narrow and instead of the left and right side angle of the vowel “I” getting larger the printing length of the surface sign(1) would be just as narrow.

But, even in cases such as this, within the range of application of the formula above the above numerical value can be selected by the person in charge of the application, and according to the field of view of the driver, in case the length of the surface sign(1) is varied the length of the upper side can also be varied of course, therefore this invention is not limited to the numerical value.

Examples about the particulars of the composition that makes up this invention of surface signs with an optical illusion effect are described in FIG. 6. In FIG. 6 it could be seen among the embodiments of the present invention, with the reduction of the surface sign(1) that was printed on the actual road for the case of a distance of 20 m between surface sign(1) and the driver, a greater width was formed for the roadside to the far side from the drive rather than to the close side of the driver, also each roadside was formed to reach the mutually acute angles, and also, the print length of the upper line was formed in a way that was longer than the lower line.

Yet, in cases of trucks and buses where the field of view is higher than that of a passenger car, just as can inferred in FIGS. 1 and 2 it still works but when the location of the driver is further from the surface sign(1), and likewise drivers of trucks and buses will be able to view surface sign of the 3-D formation from an even further location.

For the invention of surface sign(1) with an optical illusion effect that was described in case the location of the driver is further away from the surface sign(1), the surface sign(1) will appear as if it is lying flat on the road, the narrower the gap to the standard distance used in the diagram of surface sign(1) the more the surface sign(1) would elevate, and when the driver comes into position at a standard distance used in the diagram of surface sign(1), the surface sign(1) would appear to the driver as seeming to be elevated erect, therefore it would aid in safer driving because from the standpoint of the driver if the surface sign(1) is elevated becoming something that looks like it is moving while lying flat on the road this could draw the attention of the because of the human characteristics that more quickly recognize moving objects rather than stationary ones.

EXPLANATION OF MARKS

-   -   Surface sign: 1 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for printing road surface signs, comprising: printing the road surface signs such that the road surface signs are printed within an imaginary trapezoid having a bottom side, a top side, a left side, a right side and a height, wherein the imaginary trapezoid is an inverse isosceles trapezoid when it is seen by traffic, of which a length of the top side (S) is greater than a length of the bottom side, and the height of the trapezoid corresponds to a total length (Y) of the road surface sings and is calculated by ${Y = {\frac{B}{A}X}},$ where ‘A’ is an eye level of a driver, ‘B’ is an elevation difference between the top side and the bottom side which are reflected to the driver, and ‘X’ is a distance between the driver and the road surface signs; and printing parts of the road surface sings such that a part of the road surface sings having a first length is printed with the first length in a bottom portion of the trapezoid and with a second length (y) in a top portion of the trapezoid, the second length (y) being greater than the first length, and the second length (y) is calculated by ${y = {\frac{X - Y}{A - b}b}},$ where ‘b’ is a random elevation difference selected within ‘A’; and printing the road surface sings such that a part of the road surface sings having a first width is printed with the first width (s1) in the bottom portion of the trapezoid and with a second width (s2) in the top portion of the trapezoid, the second width (s2) being greater than the first width (s1), and the second width (s2) is calculated by ${{s\; 2} = {\frac{X}{X - Y}s\; 1}},$ where ‘s1’ is the first width of the part of the road surface sings.
 2. The method for printing road surface signs as claim 1, wherein each of imaginary extension lines of the left side and the right side of the trapezoid forms an acute angle of θ with an imaginary extension line of a center axis of the trapezoid, and the acute angle (θ) is calculated by ${\theta = {\tan - {1\frac{\frac{S}{2}}{X}}}},$ where ‘S’ is the length of the top side of the trapezoid.
 3. The method for printing road surface signs as claim 1, wherein the length of the top side (S) of the trapezoid is about 1.43 times greater than a length of the bottom side of the trapezoid.
 4. The method for printing road surface signs as claim 3, wherein the second length (y) is about 1.7 times greater than the first length. 